To my mom, January 26

Monday, January 26, 1981

          Well, things keep trickling in…. Today we got a box in the mail from my mother chock-full of nice little baby things I’m sure you’ll enjoy – oh! By the way, we found your crib! I just can’t wait to start dressing up your room—making it all nice and bright—a happy place for you to grow. Thinking about you really puts the sunshine in my life … I love you.

Monday, January 26, 2026

          Well, things keep progressing as you and Dad planned. We should be making a decision soon on an assisted living facility nearby for him to take residence in, chock-full of nice old people and planned meals and smaller, quieter quarters. I'm sure Dad "just can't wait" to start dressing up his new place—filling it with what remains from 740 Linda Vista—a fine little abode for him to grow old in alongside your memory. Thinking about you evokes a mood that matches the cloudy, foggy days this time of year somewhat—and then the sun burns it all away. You always loved the sun. And we love you.

My mom died on January 7, 2026. She was 70 years old. It was both her time and not her time.

To my mom, January 19

Monday, January 19, 1981

          Hi baby! Today I saw the doctor and I’m pleased to say that I have now been carrying you for 6 ½ months. You’re moving around a lot, more and more each day—it makes me happy to know that you are so active, sometimes I just can’t help but laugh when I feel your little fluttering kicks.

Monday, January 19, 2026

          Hi Mom! It's been 45 years since you put those words to paper. I'm so grateful I got to read it to you in its entirety before the end. I had never read it before, so it was an exciting discovery. Paired with what became, it may seem strange to have experienced some level of joy amid the sorrow. Very fitting though given you wrote them to me as I was coming into the world, and I read them to you as you were leaving.

          I dedicate these entries to respond in kind to your loving messages so as to correspond with the same days you did them throughout the year. May they be a forever monument to the kind of mother you were. I love you and miss you.

My mom died on January 7, 2026. She was 70 years old. It was both her time and not her time.

In the News: "Foolishness is dangerous."